Floor covering



Nov. 15, 1927.

A. C. SLOATE FLOOR COVERING Filed May '7, 192'? Patented Nov. 15, 1927;

nireo squares PATENT OFFICEo ALFRED C. SLOATE, OF WYNNEXVOOD,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO CONGOLEUM- NAIRN, INC., F PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANTA,l A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FLOOR COVERING.

Application tiled May 7` 10 visual effect these very characteristics, ina` manner to cause the said smooth surface of the floor covering toliavethe appearance of. being constituted of raised or deiircssed figures.ysuch as tileyf'or example. y

Another object of the invention is to produce, in visual effect, highlights and shadows on the smooth surface of the floor covering in orderto accentuate the raised or depressed appearance of the design figures,and to arrange these simulations in a studiously prepared irregular orhaphaZard-like manner, in order that such visual effect. to

the observer, will be consistent` regardless of the observers angle ofView or the direction or angle of the light| rays striking the floorcovering relative to the position occupied by the. viewer.

Such a studiously prepared liai'iliazardlike arrangement of high lightsand shadows lends itself to the ecoiioinieal laying of' a fioor coveringembodying this feature. :is strips of such floor covering niay lie laidparallel, perpendicular, or at any desired or necessary angle withrespectto each other and still consistently maintain the desired effect.thus eliminating the waste unavoidalily caused by the, necessity ofiiiateliiiig the strips of' floor coverings wherein the lights andshadows are consistently arranged to produce the effect of light raysstriking the face of the floor covering from a definite direction and ata definite angle.

The single figure, constituting the, drawing, illustrates a. smoothfaced floor covering produced in accordance with the principles of myinvention and shows design figlires having three difi'erentI colors, asrepresented by the lining of the different portions of the design.

I do not intend that this inventioiishall lie limited to the use of thecolors represented in the drawing, as the drawing is for the urpose ofillustrating the principles of the invent-ion and not defining `anyparticular color combination which could be construed 1927. Serial No.189,533,

as liinitin the scope of the invention in any nia-nner.

The drawing illustrates a plurality ot' rec-- tangular design figures 'lof various proportions and colors, outlined by al configuration 2 havinga color contrasting with each of tliccolors of the rectangular figures1, and adapted coordinately therewith to produce the eftectbt raised ordepressed tiling.

This raised or depressed tile eii'ect .is further accentuated by theprovision of high light areas 3 having coloration of lighter shade thanthe colors of the said design figures 1, and dccp shadow areas 4; havingcoloration darker than the colors of the said design figures 1, each ofwhich lie intermediate the border of the figures 1 and the separating.configuration 2, on tivo adiacent sides ot' said figures. It will benoted that tliesehigh light and` shadow areas are not consistentlyarranged as to indicate a definite ldirection ofY light rays, rather,they are arranged in a haphazardlike fashion which has been studiouslvconsidered with a view of offsetting any indica,- tion of consistent andpositiveidireetion of light rays.

' If. desired, each or any of the figures 1 may have a. high light area3 on one or two of its sides and a shadow area, 4 on one or two of itssides opposite those displaying a high light area. 3.

If desired, certain ofthe rectangular figures 1 inay `be furtherprovided with internal configurations 5 having haphazardly arranged highlight or shadow areas 6 immediately adjacent the. border of suchinternal configuration.

My invention may be employed in what is known as inlaid linoleuin,wherein each color appearing on the face of the floor covering is builtup from the base or founda.- tion of such covering by the deposit oifcolored granular material Adeposited on the base and pressed or moldediny ai manner well known to those familiar with the 3113 or it may beemployed in what is known as the line process of making inlaid linoleum,wherein the figures are cut from preformed sheets and then consolidatedinto a, complete design on a suitable base. My invention may be alsoemployed in floor coverings having a printed face and commonly known asprinted oil cloth.

A floor covering constructed in a. manner embodying my invention asabove described produces, in effect, surfaces having differentelevations, but eliminates the disadvantages encountered in the /iioorcoverings Wlioseexposed surface actually has two and distinctelevations, such disadvantages being the collection of dirt in thatportion of such covering lying at the lower elevation, and itssusceptibility to cracking at these lower elevations due to the reduceddifference of thickness of the floor covering at these points.'y'()bviously these disadvantagesare entirely eliminated, and thegeneralartistic appearance maintained in the smooth faced covering of eventhickness throughout as made in `accordance with the principlesof myinvention.

I claim:

1. A flexible floor covering having a substantially smooth surface; aplurality of design forming figures of various colors depicted on saidsurface; a configuration extending between and about said designfiguresan'd being of a color contrasting with the colors of said designfigures; a plurality of configurations having lighter yshades ofcoloration than the colors of said design fignrcs, constituting highlight areas on said surface; a plurality of configurations havingdai-ker shades of coloration than the colors of said design figures,constituting shadow areas on said surface; said high light and saidshadow areas being interspersed be tween said design figures and thesurrounding configuration in an irregular and haphazard-like manner todevoid saidV surface of any general' directional light ray indications.

2.A flexible floor covering having a substantially smooth surface; aplurality of designl forming figures of various colors depicted on saidsurface; an outline configura- 'tion having a plurality of'interconnected branches extending between the said design iigures andbeing of a color contrasting with the colors of said design figures; aplurality of configurations having lighter shades of coloration than thecolors or said design figures, constituting high light areas on saidsurface; a plurality of configurations having darker shades ofcoloration than the colors of said design figures, constituting shadowvareas on said sui-face; saidhigli light and said shadow areas beinginterspersed between said design figures and-adjacent branches of saidoutline configuration inan irregular and haphazard-like manner to devoidsaid surface of any general directional light ray indications.

3. A flexible door covering having a substantially smooth surface; aplurality of rectangular design figures of various-proportions andvarious colors depicted on said surface; an outline configuration havinga plurality of interconnected branches extending between saidrectangular figures and being of a color contrasting with the colors ofsaid rectangular figures;n a plurality of configurations having lightershades of coloration than the colors of said rectangular figuresconstituting high light areas on said surface; a plurality ofconfigurations having darker shades of coloration than the colors ofsaid rectangular figures, constituting shadow arcas; said high light.and said shadow areas being interspersed between said rectangularfigures and adjacent branches of said outline configuration in anirregular and hapliazard-like manner., to devoid saidV surface of anygeneral directional-light 'ray indications.

4. A method of decorating smooth faced floor coverings which isadaptedto produce thereon, in visual effect. figures at various elevations andat the same time devoid the decorated surface of any general directionallight ray indications, said method consisting of depicting desireddesign figures in desired colors on said smooth surface; forming anoutline configuration on said surface around said design figures in acolor contrasting with the colors of the said design figures, forminghigh light and shadow areas between desired portions of the said designfigures and the surrounding outline con figuration, said high light andshadow areas ieing interspersed over the said surface in a studiouslyprepared haphazard-like n'iai1"er.

5. .Ai method of decorating smooth faced floor coverings which isadapted to produce. thereon, in visual eifect, figures at variouselevations and at the same time devoid the 4decorated surface of anygeneral directional light ray indications` said method consisting of'depicting desired design figures in desired colors on said smoothsurface; forming an outline. configuration on said surface around saiddesign figures in a color contrasting with the .colors ofthe said designfigures, formingV high light and shadow areas between desired portionsof .the said design figures and the. surrounding outline configuration;said high light and shadow areas being interspersed over the saidsurface in a studiously prepared haphazardlike manner, someof'said.design gures which lie adjacent to cach other having high lightareas on their respective and immediately adjacent sides; and others ofsaid design figures having shadow areas on their respective andimmediately adjacent sides.

ALFRED C. SLOATE.

